


I'll String Along With You

by plausiblescully



Series: Bates Motel, continued [2]
Category: Bates Motel (2013)
Genre: F/M, Lights of Winter, Missing Scene, Refraction, Season 4 Episode 4, Season 4 Episode 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-09 19:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19893097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plausiblescully/pseuds/plausiblescully
Summary: Just a quick one-shot filling in some of the gaps in between scenes in Season 4, Episode 4 "Lights of Winter" and Episode 5 "Refraction."





	I'll String Along With You

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the song by Harry Warren and Al Dubin. (Because I'm predictable and I suck at coming up with titles.) It's what Norma and Alex dance to in Episode 4. 
> 
> The dialogues in italics are direct quotes from the show and not my own.

_"So, who's Rebecca?"_

_"Just someone I knew before I met you."_

_"Uh huh."_

_"Remember when I first met you? On the porch of the motel that night?"_

_"Yeah, my heart stopped. Mostly because I thought you were gonna arrest me."_

_"No, I missed that opportunity."_

_She laughs._

_"Well, I guess—I guess it all turned out okay in the end, huh? All things considered."_

_"You think so? You think it's all gonna be okay?"_

_"Kind of... Yeah, I do."_

They make a few more circles as they slowly sway from side to side.

He can't help staring at her, studying her face, trying to commit every detail to memory. He wants to burn the moment into his brain, so he can revisit it whenever he wants and see her in his mind as perfectly as he does now. She looks angelic in these lights, and he wonders how the hell he ended up here.

Holding her close as they dance, he feels warm and happy—truly _happy_ —something that he hasn't felt in a long time. Nothing else exists in that moment but her. All worries about ex-girlfriends and criminals and federal agents disappear. He has her in his arms, his wife, radiant and unreal, and she's staring right back at him with the same focused look.

_I love you,_ he thinks. _God, I love you_. 

He doesn't say it, as badly as he wants to. Instead, he asks, "This whole marriage thing isn't so bad, is it?"

"No... it's not." 

He smiles and glances down, taking his eyes off of her for just a second. When he lifts his gaze again, she's looking at him with a new intensity that makes him go still. She leans in and presses her lips to his, gently at first and then more firmly as she gains confidence. He pulls her in even closer, and she tightens her hold on him. 

The song ends, and light clapping from a few spectators reminds them that there's still a world around them. The band announces it will be taking a break, and conversations begin around them as the other dancers start to move past.

They continue to hold each other in the middle of the dance floor, Alex again studying Norma's face. She's looking down, a soft smile on her face. After a moment, she meets his gaze and says, "Do you want to go home?"

Alex nods silently and lets her lead him away from the crowd.

He keeps one arm wrapped around her waist as they make their way toward the parking lot. When they get there, she points in the direction of her car, and he walks her to it. His SUV is on the other side of the lot, so he promises to see her soon and gives her one more quick kiss before going.

He catches up to her pretty quickly, and as they're winding their way along the dark and lonely road that leads to the motel, his thoughts travel back to their conversation from before. 

_"My heart stopped. Mostly because I thought you were gonna arrest me."_

_"No, I missed that opportunity."_

An idea comes to his mind, and Alex hits the lights and sirens in his vehicle. The sudden noise startles Norma and she jumps. Looking in her rear-view mirror, she can see Alex grinning, and she shakes her head, though she wears a grin of her own.

Alex turns off the sirens but leaves the lights on. Within a few seconds, the trees on one side of the road thin and then stop altogether, and the motel comes into view. They pull in, and Alex gets out of his vehicle first. It seems Norma is playing along, since she stays put. Alex walks around to the driver's side of her car and leans down to look at her, one hand on the roof of the car, the other on his hip. As she rolls down her window, he wishes he'd thought to grab his flashlight, too.

"License and registration," he commands.

"What seems to be the trouble, officer?" she returns, doing her best to look innocent.

"That's 'sheriff,'" he corrects. "License and registration."

Norma tries to suppress a smile, but she's no longer able to continue the charade. She rolls her window up again, and Alex takes a step back so she can open the door and get out. Norma takes his arm, linking hers through his, and they start up the stairs to the house. 

Neither of them speak at first, then Alex breaks the silence. "Did your heart stop that time?"

She laughs softly. "Almost," she teases. "But it's still going."

"Hm... Well, we'll see if it keeps up," Alex says, as they reach the door.

Norma unlocks it and steps inside first. Alex closes the door behind them, and instead of opening the other one, Norma has stopped in the entryway and is watching him. He gives her a questioning look, and she grabs his face and pulls him to her.

As they kiss, already beginning to remove layers of clothing, Alex opens the second door. He gets as far as unbuttoning her coat before she breaks away to look at him. Then, leaning around him, she whispers, "I wanna see you," and flicks the light on.

He's the first to notice that something's not right.

They part from one another to take in the damage done to the house. After a cursory look around, Norma goes to him, her distraught evident, and asks, "Who would do this?"

Alex takes her by the waist and she wraps her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder. He doesn't have an answer for her—or at least not one she would like to hear.

They take a moment to collect themselves. Then, they quickly get to work straightening things up.

_"What if it's Bob Paris again?"_

_"No, it's not Bob."_

_"How do you know?"_

_"Because it's an amateur move, it's sloppy."_

_"It's pretty aggressive."_

_"It's about me."_

_"Why, what did you do?"_

_"Nothing, I... Look, there are all these people in the drug trade that got rolled up by the DEA. I'm just trying to clean up the loose ends right now, and it's pissing some people off. Hazards of marrying a sheriff. I'm sorry."_

_"Are you in danger?"_

_"No, no, no, no... This is a nuisance. It's not a threat. All right? And I'm sorry about the window. We're gonna get that fixed."_

_"All right."_

They have the house mostly put back together in about an hour. Their progress has slowed considerably, and they've both yawned more than a few times, when Norma says, "I can finish the rest of this in the morning," indicating the remaining mess. "It's getting late."

"No. I mean—don't worry about it," Alex says. "I'll take care of it. It was my fault anyway." 

Norma gives him a tired half-smile, appreciative of his offer. "No, it's not, and I'll be here with the motel anyway, so I can take care of it. It's fine. Really."

Alex tries to keep a neutral expression despite the guilt he feels. Norma doesn't deserve to be on the receiving end of Rebecca's anger, and he hates knowing that he indirectly caused this. He can't say anything without her getting suspicious, though, so he just asks, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's all right."

"Okay," he says with a sigh, feeling defeated.

Norma rises from her seat then, and states, "I'm going to bed." She crosses the room and stops in the doorway when she realizes that Alex hasn't moved.

"Are you coming?" she asks tentatively.

Alex looks up and is surprised to see her standing there, waiting for him to join her. "Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah." He gets up, too, and walks over to her. 

She gives him a smile, which he returns, then she takes his hand and leads him upstairs to her room.

Once there, she closes the door behind them, as if to say she doesn't want him going anywhere. Alex stands motionless, still cautious, even though she's just invited him to bed. He still doesn't want to rush or assume anything, so he waits to take direction from her.

Norma sits on the bed and begins to remove her boots. In turn, Alex toes off his shoes. All the while, they eye each other. 

Norma stands again and walks off a little, turning away as she starts to undress. Alex swallows, and does the same. She stops before removing her underwear, then turns to glance at him. She sees that he's down to his boxer briefs, then turns her attention away again, moving to the bed to pull the blankets back so she can crawl in. Alex climbs in after her and settles down beside her.

They stare at each other in silence for a moment. Alex doesn't know what she wants him to do or what she expects of him. He doesn't have to wonder for long, though, as she inches closer and hugs him, tucking her head under his chin. He wraps his arms around her and holds her against him, letting out a breath as he tries to relax. 

When he thinks she must be nearly asleep, if she's not already, he reaches over to turn off the light. She stirs beside him when he moves, and pulls him close again, refusing to let him go far. He puts his arm back around her, and though he can't be sure if at this point, she just wants him there for protection after the break-in, he ventures a kiss on the top of her head.

She picks up her head to meet his eyes, then kisses him softly. Alex places a hand on the side of her face and brushes his thumb over her cheek, looking at her tenderly. Norma melts under his gaze and kisses him again, more eagerly but without haste. Alex's fingers slip into her hair, while she slides a hand up his chest to his neck.

When she pulls away, she briefly rests her forehead against his. Then she settles down again, laying her head back on his chest, and he hugs her to him again. Alex lets his eyes fall shut, suddenly feeling very drowsy, but before he drifts off, he tells Norma, "Sleep well."

She smiles against his skin. "Goodnight."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the morning, Alex wakes early. Norma is sleeping soundly, one hand still laying atop his chest, and not much space between their bodies. Alex takes a moment to appreciate her face, so peaceful-looking, with the sunlight making her skin glow. He would be content to stay there all day, if he didn't have a few important matters to tend to. 

Alex takes her hand and gently places it on the mattress, careful not to disturb her, and slides out of bed. He goes downstairs and starts brewing some coffee. He's on his way to take a shower when he stops himself just before climbing the stairs. He takes a few steps back to look into the living room. It no longer looks like the disaster it was the night before—if he didn't know better, he would say that a couple of kids had been roughhousing and left the room in disarray. A quick look at his watch tells him he has enough time to clean up what remains.

By the time he finishes, he's running a little late, but he smiles to himself as he takes the stairs two at a time and rushes through his shower. Now he can feel slightly better about the situation.

He hurries out of the house without getting a chance to say goodbye to Norma. She rouses at the sound of his feet on the stairs and the closing of the door, regretting that she didn't get to see him off.

Like him, before doing anything else, she heads to the kitchen to get coffee. After pouring herself a cup, she goes to the living room to reassess the damage. 

Her mouth falls open in surprise when she sees that it's all back to normal. There's only one exception: a note for her on the table. 

_The window is next. See you later. A_


End file.
